Would you consider Spectrum Chemistry to be more difficult than Apologia? We are going to be using Spectrum for the first time next year with my second son -- after only using Apologia for all sciences with the first. Thanks for any observations you might want to share. ~Brigid

If you are planning to teach a class to kids other than your own, the choice of works can be tricky. I have used the Tapestry of Grace year 3 and 4 rhetoric level literature selections as my spine for the last couple of years. I didn't use all of the Tapestry recommendations -- and I added a few that were not on the list -- but it gave me a planning framework that was very helpful. Using the Tapestry list gave me a bit of a safety net in terms of: acceptable literature (controversial or mature themes) quantity of books (although I did not teach as many as TOG recommends) rigor (what I can expect of the kids) Good luck with your choices! ~Brigid

IEW (SWI and SICC DVDs) Apologia: General Science through Physics Horizons Math (younger - we were so sad to outgrow it) Saxon Math (older) Sonlight (younger years - wonderful structure for a new hs-ing mom) Tapestry (Dialectic and Rhetoric level - 3rd & 4th years) While not a curriculum, the WTM book was the most valuable resource of all. ~Brigid

I have one suggestions - for 10th grade, I would replace Across Five Aprils with Uncle Tom's Cabin, if you are looking for a Civil War era book. Your list looks great. Moby Dick will be daunting. We read Billy Budd instead. :001_smile: Enjoy your reading. You have a great list! ~Brigid in NC

I think test prep is worthwhile -- but how much depends on the age/grade of the youth. If your ds has never taken an SAT or ACT, I'd suggest a practice run-through (not all at once) covering each of the sections of the ACT -- so he will know what to expect. I don't see the need to do much more than that in 9th. I would think the purpose in 9th would be to gain overall testing experience. My dh has found the English, Reading, and Math sections of the ACT to be fairly similar to the SAT. The Science section is quite different, however. If your ds is a fairly good test taker, and you want to help him with extra preparation, I'd focus on helping him understand how to tackle the Science section. It's less about science, and more about "data interpretation." Speed is essential to do well in this section. So the more familiar your ds is with the format, the better. In 8th/9th there is still so much that is to come in material to be covered in high school. The 9th and 10th grade years are really the best prep you can get -- getting all the necessary math under his belt, and upping the quality and rigor of the literature he reads. Here is what my 11th grade ds used to practice for the science section this year: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ef7rX...eature=related (There are 7 or 8 of them, and this is the first) Here is the link for the ACT practice test that the speaker refers to: http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/preparing.pdf All my ds's scores improved this year (another year of school under his belt!), but his science score improved significantly because he focused on prepping and practicing for this unusual section. Good luck! Brigid in NC p.s. By the way, when you sign up for the ACT (or after) you have the option to pay $16 for the actual test booklet. You receive an answer sheet with all your youth's scores, and all the correct scores. We did that the last two years, so when my ds began to prepare this year, he retook the last two years' tests. Nothing like the real thing for practice! Also helps to see where the "holes" are and continue to be!

I am having trouble figuring out whether some of my ds's activities would be considered community service. He plays the violin in our church's orchestra every Sunday (and practices with the orchestra one evening a week). Would this be considered service, or would it fall under extra-curricular music activities? He plays the keyboard in a youth band that practices once a week, and then plays during youth on Sunday nights. That seems like extra-curricular music, not service? Also, my ds has odds and ends of community service through the scouts, a club he is in, and other personal endeavors. They seem like dribs and drabs, but collectively amount to a worthy effort. How would you list these types of one-off service efforts in a collective way -- so as not to appear to have a laundry list -- but still show a significant effort? My ds is planning to apply to competitive schools, and apply for scholarships that view service as a very important component. I'd like to help him compile a strong transcript, but avoid mischaracterizing his activities. Thanks! ~Brigid in NC

I think the SICC-C is a year's worth of high school writing -- especially if you join the IEW yahoogroup and download Jill Pike's lesson plan that provides guidance and details on how to extend it over 36 weeks. The SWI-C would be a writing unit during the year, not a whole year's writing -- but still worthly for part of a year's work and credit. Good luck! ~Brigid

I had my son review these ACT science prep videos before taking the ACT last weekend. He said he thought they helped a lot -- both with speed and with strategies. The teacher in the video talks very fast, and tells the kids that they will need to read as fast as he is talking. He "talks" them through an entire science practice test, at a pace that is necessary to finish. I think in the science section of the ACT it's really not about science IMHO, but about acquiring test-taking skills. (There are 7 or 8 of them, and this is the first) Here is the link for the ACT practice test he refers to: http://www.act.org/aap/pdf/preparing.pdf

I would agree that "literary characters" would be from novels or plays (or even epic poems). Based on your son's philosophy choices, I'm sure he will be able to choose two clever and engaging fictional characters. Good luck! Take care. ~Brigid

In my opinion, IEW is perfect for the reluctant writer and/or the unsure teacher. I highly recommend IEW materials. I have used them successfully for many years with my own kids, and in writing co-op classes I've taught. Best of luck! ~Brigid

I was mistaken in what I said about the science/math match up. It is physics that matches up with Algebra II, not chemistry. With chemistry, it is good to have had Algebra I under your belt. I don't know that you have to have algebra II to be successful in physics -- but the math and science match up well. Sorry for the mis-information earlier. The old memory is not what it used to be. ;) ~Brigid

I know that I am regularly flabbergasted at the most common fact that my wonderful high school son does not know . . . like the price of a postage stamp (and he wasn't even close!). haha ~Brigid

If you are interested in offering your 7th grader the opportunity to "get to" advanced science classes in high school, community college classes help with that (if you have that option). You may have a very advanced student, who will be ready for high school biology in 7th grade. If so, go for it! This is what has worked well for my math/science-oriented 11th grader (and my 8th grader is on the same schedule): 6th Apologia General Science 7th Apologia Physical Science 8th Apologia Biology (with paid lab) 9th Apologia Chemistry (with paid lab) 10th Apologia Physics (paid class and lab) 11th College Chemistry (2 Community College semesters) 12th Calculus-based Physics (2 CC semesters is the plan) I would suggest that you plan to do ONE of the two Apologia texts in 7th (I would choose Physical, but I think either would be great). That way, your student will be familiar with the Apologia-way of doing things. I think you will find you'll have a much more pleasant and successful year of biology that way. You will want your student to be at least IN Algebra 2 by the time you start Chemistry. If your 7th grader does Algebra 1/Physical Science in 7th, Geometry/Biology in 8th and Chemistry/Alg 2 in 9th, it seems like the math would match up well. (Of course you could rearrange your math and do Alg 1 and Alg 2 back-to-back in 7th and 8th. That's another way to stay on track with biology in 7th and chemistry in 8th.) Just my .02. Best of luck to you! ~Brigid :)

My 11th ds is taking AP US History this year through the PA Homeschoolers. The instructor, Susan Richman, is absolutely terrific. It is a LOT of work, but the course and instructor interaction/feedback is outstanding. I highly recommend this class if you are interested in an AP US History course. I understand that all the PA Homeschoolers AP courses have gone through the College Board audit process, and all are approved AP courses (meaning you can list the class as AP on your student's transcript). ~Brigid ;) http://www.pahomeschoolers.com/courses/index.html

My 11th ds enjoyed Great Expectations, A Tale of Two Cities, and Oliver Twist over the high school years. My 8th grade ds loved Oliver Twist this year. So for us, Dickens has been the biggest hit. My co-op English class girls loved Jane Eyre. Pride and Prejudice was also a big hit among the guys and the girls. Take care. ;) ~Brigid

I was planning for my 12th grader to take AP U.S. Government through the PA Homeschoolers next year, since we have had such a great experience with AP U.S. History through them this year. As I look over the AP courses, however, the AP Comparative Government class looks highly appealing. With only one year left, we have to make a choice! Any advice from those who have grappled with this -- or have insights to offer -- would be appreciated! Thanks! ~Brigid ;)

UVA is my alma mater -- so I am glad that it was resolved! Now I hope your son gets in, with the scholarship you are hoping for!! Wahoowa! ~Brigid :D

What a great idea! I just ordered a used (cheap!) copy of the audio book (my library doesn't have it). Now I can enjoy the book AND eat breakfast, instead of reading it to my two sleepy guys! :D Thanks for the excellent suggestion! ~Brigid

We are currently reading The Aeneid, and I am struggling with the pronunciation of all the Greek and Roman names. Is there a good pronunciation guide (a link maybe?) that anyone can recommend? I think I am completely butchering the names right now! :eek: Thanks! ~Brigid

If I understand the original question - English credit percentage - this is what we do: 50% literature 40% composition 10% vocabulary That is how I weight the grades for the year. ~Brigid ;)

In my last post, I may have been unclear. :cool: I give one credit per year for English, for a total of 4 credits in high school. ~Brigid

I give one credit for literature, composition, and vocabulary. We do not have a formal grammar program (we stopped in 8th grade), but deal with that as part of writing instruction. If I did have a separate grammar program, I would fold it into the one English credit for the year. I have designated our English classes as "honors" based on the volume and rigor of the reading, and the number of papers that are assigned. But I don't add any more credits. I see the rigor as a GPA issue. For us a standard class A=4.0, honors A=5.0, and AP or CC class A=6.0. That is the way the public school system in our area weights grades, so that's why we chose that weighting method. I know that other school systems across the country have different weighting systems. Take care! ~Brigid

You might look into "The Lukeion Project." I don't have personal experience with this group, but have friends that are happy with their on-line Wheelock's Latin class. I am considering it for my 9th grader next year. I have heard the Barrs (owners and instructors) speak at a state homeschool convention, and I was quite impressed. Amy Barr is a dynamic speaker, and the company appears to be very professionally run. http://www.lukeion.org/index.htm ~Brigid

I have just started Sound and Sense, but I have used Perrine's Literature: Structure, Sound, and Sense in past years, and have just assigned a chapter a week. Some weeks, if the other classwork is heavy, we skipped reading for a week. My experience with the Perrine books is that the chapters can be read sequentially OR in whatever order you want. Each chapter is very self-contained. So I would just launch in! I think the Perrine books are very user-friendly. But they don't have the teacher hand-holding guides that I wish they did. ;) Good luck! ~Brigid

I love buying clean used (CHEAP!) books. It helps me "give myself permission" to write in the books. I find myself far more engaged in a book if I have a pen and highlighter close by. I underline passage that I think are well written, thought provoking, or interesting for whatever reason. I put asterisks and check marks in the margins. I circle words I don't know -- but I don't always look them up. :rolleyes: I find it particularly helpful to write in the books that I am teaching in my English co-op class. As a teacher, I think that writing in the book is almost essential. I encourge my high schoolers to write in their books too. My own kids do. Some of the kids whose families don't want that use post-it notes instead. ;) Take care! ~Brigid